1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical cable coupling assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention has been primarily developed for medium to high voltage and/or medium to high current multicore power supply cables such as those used in the underground mining industry and will be described hereinafter with reference to that application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to that particular field of use.
Known electrical cable couplings for power supply cables used in underground mines have generally included an axially extending cylindrical body which is configured at one end for insertion into a complementary coupling having a number of connector pins. The other end of the body is configured to receive a multi-core cable.
Within the body the ends of the cable cores are electrically connected to respective internal contacts which, in turn, selectively electrically engage with the connector pins within the complementary coupling.
As it is necessary to insulate the ends of the various cores in the multicore cable from each other the body generally includes a one piece moulded insulator which surrounds the internal contacts and allows them to contact only a respective connector pin. An example of a known electrical cable coupling assembly is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and will be described below in more detail.
The known couplings are particularly disadvantageous as they are heavy and the insulator is prone to damage and is difficult to replace without at the same time replacing all the internals of the body. In a mine environment where operating conditions are harsh the known couplings are particularly undesirable as they are expensive to maintain in safe working condition.